Postcard: New Delhi

A grounded Airbus in a suburban backyard lets Indians simulate air travel, without ever taking off. A former airline engineer provides orientation for future travelers

Lost luggage. Frustrating delays. Bad food. It’s hard to get excited about flying these days. Hard, that is, unless you’ve just boarded the Airbus A300 owned by former Indian Airlines engineer B.C. Gupta. Take, for example, the safety demonstration. After asking for a volunteer from the 120 or so kids crammed, some two to a seat, in the plane’s economy-class cabin, flight attendant Ridhi Sehgal explains how the oxygen masks work. …